Author: Christine Day
Interior Illustrator: Gillian Flint
Publisher: Penguin Random House LLC
Grade Level: 1-4
Social Justice Element #4: Social Movements and Social Change
Summary
She Persisted: Maria Tallchief by Christine Day tells the life story of a biracial Osage girl who, despite the discrimination she faced, persevered to become one of the most successful ballerinas of all time. In 1925, Maria Tallchief was born in Oklahoma to a father who was a citizen of the Osage Nation and a white woman from Kansas. Her mother could not afford ballet lessons as a child, so she wanted to ensure that her children had the opportunity to try it. In her early teenage years, Maria Tallchief fell in love with the beauty and challenge of ballet, so from then on, she knew that dance was what she wanted to do as a career. Although Maria Tallchief consistently proved to be at the top of her class, she found herself getting background roles until she moved to New York. Although Maria Tallchief continued to face prejudice, her career took off, and she used her platform to support the causes she believed in.
Social Justice Element
This book is a powerful representation of Social Justice Element #4: Social Movements and Social Change because it highlights core values of activism on individual and community levels. Throughout Tallchief's life, we see how she pushes back against the prejudice inflicted upon her. For instance, when she is pressured to change her name to sound Russian, she refuses her boss and walks away from an international touring contract. Also, once Tallchief reached the heights of her success, she used her platform to support Americans for Indian Opportunity by volunteering for this organization. Another way that this book draws attention to Social Justice is in its geographic language. Los Angeles is not just Los Angeles; it is the land once known as Tovaangar. When Maria moves, she moves to the traditional Lenape territory known as New York City. Additionally, the book ends with a section titled, "How You Can Persist." In this section, Day outlines several ways that readers can become more active in fighting for social change. One recommendation is to "Visit tribally managed museums, cultural centers, or public powwows to celebrate and support the Native American community" (Day 30).
Where to Buy It
An excellent, family-owned bookstore is Aaron's Books in Lititz, PA. You can buy the book She Persisted: Maria Tallchief here and the audiobook here. A. S. King, another renowned social justice author, does work with (and provides signed copies of her books to) this local bookstore.
Potential Activity
This activity was inspired by this worksheet from Teachers Pay Teachers
- Before class begins, the teacher can place a pack of sticky notes on each table or group of desks. The teacher can also hang a large poster sticky note in the front of the room with the word "Persistent" in the middle (like a graphic organizer).
- The Do Now activity could be, "What comes to mind when you think of the word, 'Persistent'?"
- The students will come up with as many words or phrases as possible and put them on the poster.
- The class can then come up with their own annotation guide for the reading She Persists: Maria Tallchief. For example, if one/multiple sticky notes said, "Standing up for your beliefs," the class can look for examples of standing up for one's beliefs. The annotation guide might consist of three items to look out for.
- Throughout the reading, the class can stop and reflect about examples of discrimination or resilience that they see, referring back to the class-made annotation guide.
Teacher Resources
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